


The Flatshare

by ltuhura



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Dan/Cat (for a minute), F/M, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Phil/Charlie (for a minute), Sharing a Bed, Some Past Abuse (Not of Each Other Though), Strangers to Lovers, flatmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-23 04:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltuhura/pseuds/ltuhura
Summary: Based on the book by Beth O'Leary.Phil Lester needs to find a new apartment after breaking up with his boyfriend Charlie. He moves into a flatshare with Daniel Howell. However, you two never meet as Dan and Phil's work schedules are the exact opposite and Dan stays with his girlfriend Cat on weekends. Instead, the two get to know each other through notes and objects left around the flat. So, what happens when they finally do meet?





	The Flatshare

Phil's POV

Who knew that renting a flat in London could be so expensive? Despite living in London for many years, Phil had no idea. Surely, he should be able to find an apartment with more to offer than mold-covered walls for his modest budget.  
“Oh my god. Phil, you cannot live here!” shouted PJ from down the hall, “There’s grass growing in the bathroom.”  
“Free houseplants!” Phil replied, attempting to sound enthusiastic.  
Sophie, then, marched up to Phil. Even though he was a head taller than her, he was intimidated by her courtroom look. Phil, Sophie, and PJ had been best friends for a long time, but ever since Sophie picked up that intense stare in law school, Phil had been a little scared of her. "Phil, come on, your bathroom isn't meant to be a garden. Has anyone inspected this place?"  
As she finished speaking, PJ screeched, running down the hall to stand next to Sophie. “Dude, I just saw a huge spider. There has to be somewhere else within budget.” A cobweb fell across PJ’s curly locks, but Phil decided not to mention it.  
“You know you’re welcome to stay at ours,” Sophie added, then glanced at her watch. She needed to be across town by nine.  
Phil appreciated the offer but knew there was barely enough room in PJ and Sophie’s expensive downtown flat. The two had just jointly invested in the place and Phil would rather not know how much they were spending. Honestly, Phil was a little worried about the two living together. PJ and Sophie had been friends for a long time, but had never lived together before. While Sophie was neat and tidy, PJ was often messy as he got onto a creative spree. Phil knew it was just anxiety, but he couldn’t bear to have a front row seat if their friendship were to blow up.  
The main problem, though, was that Phil needed a place of his own. If he were to just crash at their place, he could easily crawl back to Charlie again. Going to Charlie’s needed to stop being an option. Phil needed to commit to a place of his own so that he could finally move forward.  
“Phil, I could lend you some…” PJ started.  
Phil quickly cut him off. “No, I don’t need a loan. I just really need to move out of Charlie’s. It’s this or the flatshare.”  
“The bedshare, you mean,” answered Sophie. “And I don’t understand why now. Haven’t you just been sitting around he-who-must-not-be-named’s flat waiting for him to sweep you off your feet again?”  
Phil winced. PJ and Sophie had never liked Charlie, but Sophie was always more vocal about it. For a while Phil thought he could get them to come around, but eventually they just agreed to not talk about him.  
“Phil, I just don’t want to you to rush into a crappy flat. Why is this happening all the sudden?” PJ asked in a soft tone. While Sophie was always direct, PJ knew how to soften her blows.  
Phil sighed and pulled out his phone. He might as well show them. Charlie had Facebook messaged him:

_Phil,_   
_ You were quite embarrassing last night. You were out of line and I am quite disappointed. It is my flat and I can come around with whoever whenever I like._   
_ I would have expected you to be more grateful, as I have let you stay in the flat. In fact, I think that you need to start paying me rent. Sebastian says that you’re taking advantage of me by staying here for free._   
_ Charlie xx_

Phil hated to think that he was taking advantage of Charlie. He just wasn’t quite ready to leave up until that point.  
“He brought Sebastian ‘round again?” PJ asked.  
Phil looked away at the beige wall. A bubble had appeared under the paint. It was clear there was a leak. “He is right. He has been so good to let me stay with him.”  
“Funny,” Sophie replied with distaste, “I always got the impression that he likes keeping you there.”  
Phil agrees with Sophie, though he thinks Sophie perhaps thinks of it more negatively. During Phil and Charlie’s past breakups they had always stayed in the flat together and eventually made up. This was the first time that Charlie had brought someone else home with him. Phil felt awful because he knew that Sebastian was more attractive than him. Sebastian had light brown hair that matched his eyes, dark skin, and seemed to be way more muscular than Phil. Phil knew that he was just a lanky, unathletic ghost who died his hair pitch black.  
Phil started to tear up but spotted the real estate agent about to pop back in the room and quickly tried to reel in his emotions. “So, uh, yes, I think it’s time to move out. I can’t afford to pay him rent and I owe Charlie enough money already. Plus, I am sick of not being about to pay for myself,” Phil said, “So it’s this or the flatshare.”  
“Well, this cannot be the place. Pull up the flatshare ad again,” Sophie said, holding out her hand to take his phone.

_Double bedroom in sunny Stockwell one-bed flat. Rent £350 a month, bills included. Available immediately, six months minimum. Flat to share with a twenty-seven-year-old palliative care nurse who works night and is away weekends. Perfect for someone with a 9 to 5 job._   
_ To view, contact D. Howell._

“It’s not just sharing the flat with some random person. You have to share a bed,” PJ said, obviously distressed.  
“We wouldn’t be in the bed at the same time! This D person would be at work whenever I was there and vice versa,” claimed Phil defensively.  
“You’d be sleeping with him! Everyone knows the first rule of a flatshare is not to sleep with your flatmate,” Sophie added unhelpfully.  
“I’m not sure this is the situation they were referring to,” Phil responded.  
“I think you should meet this ‘D’ first. Just so we have some confidence this person is not a serial killer,” PJ said, before turning to draw a smiley face in the dust on the cabinets.  
“Ok, I will," Phil agreed. "Let’s get out of here. The chandelier above us is dangling rather precariously.”


End file.
